Village police tapped as ‘Flagship Agency’ for accreditation

The Pinecrest Police Department continues to gain recognition as a top level law enforcement agency, earlier this month earning the prestigious designation as a “Flagship Agency” for police accreditation.

The title was bestowed the Fairfax Virginia-based Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which recently conducted its final reaccreditation inspection of the Village police department.

“A Flagship Agency represents an extraordinary example of excellence in public safety and it is recognized as a potential resource for future and current CALEA clients,” said Sylvester Daughtry, executive director of CALEA in a letter to Police Chief John Hohensee.

Chief Hohensee said he was pleased and honored with the Flagship designation and noted that his department had come a long way since its inception in 1997. “This is just the most recent feather in our cap,” said Hohensee. “It says that not only are we worthy of accreditation, but we’re worthy of being imitated by other people looking to become accredited. We’re justifiably proud of that accomplishment. It means that we are extremely professional in our service delivery program and that our personnel exemplify the types, behaviors and traits that you would expect in a highly trained and very committed police force. “We will assist agencies because just a few years ago we were where they are now; that is, struggling to come to grips with about 500 standards that you have to show compliance with, and it can be a daunting task. We also can serve as a resource for those agencies and help them to the extent that we can, and also just encourage them that accreditation is very achievable. It’s a lot of work, but the rewards are well worth it.”

Hohensee noted that his department has not yet received notification of reaccreditation from CALLEA, but he said the “Flagship” designation was a strong indication that certification is all but certain. “We have every expectation of receiving reaccreditation,” said Hohensee. “Our final report was very complimentary and I would be shocked if there were any problems to our getting reaccredited.”

Hohensee and his accreditation manager, Lt. Sam Ceballos, will journey to Las Vegas, NV on July 31 to attend the annual CALEA conference and accept the department’s reaccreditation certificate.